Shopping in Thailand can be fun or a nightmare. There are a few things to remember before spending your hard-earned cash. Here are a few guidelines and recommendations to make your shopping experience enjoyable, purchasing high quality products at great prices.

Shopping is one of the great pleasures here in Chiangmai. There is the famous night bazaar, Baan Tawai wood carving village, Bosang Sa paper and umbrella village and Sankampang with its many handicraft factories.

People always ask - what is a good purchase and where? Here are some guidelines that may help you.

Night Bazaar:

The night bazaar has some excellent bargains but be careful. The night bazaar is great for t-shirts, fake designer clothes and watches but not handicrafts. Lacquer-ware and wood products purchased here will split and crack after a year or so. It is not real lacquerware but only painted with a couple coats of sprayed-on lacquer paint. Wood products are not treated correctly unless you are from a hot and humid climate like Thailand.

This is also a big problem when purchasing wood products from Baan Tawai. These products are made for Thailand and should be purchased by those living here only. The problem is the wood should be dried outside in the weather for two years then heat treated in an oven. This way if you take the wood home to a cooler and drier climate or keep it an air-conditioned home it won't crack or split. The wood products at Baan Tawai and the night bazaar are not treated properly.

Don't forget to look around the Artists Studio area, where having a favourite photo painted to canvas is affordable.

For wood and lacquer-ware, go to the factories in Sankhampang.  Sudaluck is excellent for wood products and Lai Thai for lacquerware. Here the wood is treated properly and the lacquer-ware is treated with real gum lacquer with seven coats. Every coat is dried and polished.

Beware of the gem scams:

Make purchases of jewellery and gems from a reputable dealer or shop such as Princess Jewelry or Gems Gallery. The prices are a lot cheaper than western countries and the quality excellent. Remember, if the price seems too cheap to believe, then don't believe the gems or jewellery are real.